Telling
by MrsBeck1208
Summary: Post 513. Ted asks Brian about punching Michael.


_A/N: This has been kicking around my brain all week as I rewatched Season 3. I needed to get it out! It's unbeta'd so all mistakes are mine. I suck at titles, too. Feel free to suggest a better one._

**Telling**

Ted used the key none of The Gang knew he had and slipped quietly inside the large foyer. The numbers on the alarm panel as he punched in the code seemed abnormally loud in the quiet house. It still made him smile to remember the day he'd come into the office and found a key ring on his desk. The note stuck to it said, "I'm tired of having to get up to let your ass in. Make copies or tell anyone and they'll never find the body." Ted was reminded again how much life can change when you aren't looking.

He found Brian easily enough, in front of the fire place. It was obvious that was Brian's favorite spot in the huge house. Ted found him in front of the fire almost every time. He shifted the files that were his cover story for the tonight's visit. He doubted that Brian was buying into the story anymore, after all who really needs to go over contracts or reports on the weekend? Kinnetik and Babylon may have been doing exceptionally well, but that didn't mean paperwork needed to be hand delivered to Britin every Sunday night.

As usual Brian was in the large comfortable chair that faced the fire place with his feet up on the ottoman and a drink in his hand. Although, Ted noted that the bottle was no where in sight – again – and the drink appeared to be mostly full. He doubted anyone but Justin knew how much Brian had scaled back on the booze and drugs since his cancer. Brian's more moody outbursts had more to do with being sober and having time to think than they did with being drunk or high lately.

"Are you going to come in or just stand there watching all night? While I can see the appeal, I'm sure Blake would like you home sooner or later."

Ted chuckled and stepped into the room. "And how did you know I was here?"

"I can smell that cheesy cologne you wear. I pay you enough for the good stuff, you know."

Ted nodded his agreement. "But Blake likes this."

There was nothing to say to that, the very building they were in was a testament to how much one will do for someone they loved, so he changed the subject. "So what earth shattering emergency do you have for me this weekend?"

Ted smiled as he presented the files. Yep, Brian was on to him. It spoke volumes about the status of their friendship (and wow, was he ever going to stop being amazed that he could truly call Brian a friend now) that Brian didn't throw him out or launch a slew of snarky comments at him?

They reviewed their paperwork with little fuss. Brian would never admit it, but hiring Ted was one of the better business decisions he'd ever made. Ted was great with the numbers, but he was always up for a new challenge, even if he didn't know it at the time the challenge was issued. Looking back, he couldn't imagine Kinnetik being as far along as it was now without Cynthia and Ted. Although the two of them had taken to "babysitting" him since Justin had moved to New York, they knew him well enough to do it in such a manner that he hadn't even noticed it at first. And when he did, he decided he didn't mind it as much as he thought he would have. Their tactics were far more subtle than the Novotny School of Smothering Mother Hens taught. Since Michael was still too busy being the perfect Stepford fag and Lindsay was in fucking Canada, he decided it was nice to know someone actually cared and opted to play along.

Ted noticed Brian seemed unusually relaxed tonight. Maybe it was time to ask him? He'd been wondering for weeks now, ever since he and Blake celebrated an anniversary of sorts. Anniversaries counted in months weren't exactly official, but they liked having reasons to celebrate the good things in life. It had reminded him of another anniversary celebration that didn't go so well and he realized he never knew exactly what happened that day. After Michael's black eye had faded and Debbie's anger eventually cooled off, no one dared to bring it up. Anything that had Brian Kinney punching Michael, well that had to be really bad. It had bugged him for weeks.

Why hadn't Michael said anything? One or two vague comments right after the incident, but never any details. Michael could never keep a secret for more than ten minutes and yet, Michael had kept quiet all this time. He was certain Debbie didn't know because she could never keep quiet about anything. She'd raged on for weeks about what a "fucking animal" Brian had been for hitting Michael, but never anything about why it occurred in the first place. Emmett was the Queen Gossip of Liberty Avenue, but he didn't know any more than Ted did. Melanie would have told him, but there was nothing from her other than bitchy comments about more bad behavior from Brian.

No, the more he thought about it, the more he was sure there was more to this than any of them had realized at the time. And now he really wanted to know. He'd learned over the past couple of years, that Brian went out of his way to not be violent. He'd never dared to try and talk to Brian about it, but he was sure the horror stories they'd heard at Jack Kinney's funeral were true. Brian had been abused in some way and as a result, he went to great lengths to be everything his father was not.

"Spit it out, Theodore, I can practically hear you thinking."

"Remember Mel and Lindsay's anniversary party?" Ted saw Brian tense up. "What happened between you and Michael?"

Brian paused a long time before answering.

"Michael has never known when to stop talking."

Ted snorted. "We all know that! What I want to know is what he said to make you hit him? It's so out of character for you to hit anyone, but especially Michael. It had to be something really big."

Brian pressed two fingers into the bridge of his nose. This was not a time he liked to revisit. Anything during Justin's time with the Fiddler was bad, but he had never forgiven himself for hitting Michael. Not matter what was said, shutting someone up with a fist was a very Jack thing to do and he hated himself for it. Then again, this was the first time anyone other than Justin had ever asked what really happened instead of automatically assuming it was Brian's fault alone.

"He wouldn't shut up about Justin leaving me." He said without looking up. No matter how many years had gone by, it still hurt. "He just kept going on about all the things he thought Justin had done to me. I told him to shut up several times, but he just kept going on." Brian shuddered, lost in his memories of the party and the bashing. His voice was barely a whisper. "He said it wasn't worth saving Justin's life and that I should have just left him lying there."

Ted gasped before he could stop himself. "Jesus Christ."

Brian looked at Ted for the first time since the topic was started. "No wonder you hit him. He's lucky you only hit him once!"

"I shouldn't have hit him at all."

"I don't know, Bri. I've never advocated violence as a solution, but if that had been me, I probably would have done the same if not worse." Brian managed a small smile. He tried to picture Ted hitting someone and just couldn't. "I remember how mad I used to get at Emmett for constantly attacking Blake when we first got together and no one ever bashed Blake."

"Yeah, but Blake is the reason you almost died." Brian arched an eyebrow at Ted. He idly wondered if he was still Ted's plug-puller or if Blake had that distinction now. "Emmett was trying to protect you the way Mikey felt he had to protect me." Brian wondered when he started defending Emmett.

Ted shook his head. "Blake and I worked that out ages ago. He didn't force me to drink the GHB. He was wrong for giving it to me, but I was more wrong for taking it. I should have known better. We are both adults and responsible for our own actions." Ted paused, "is that why you never told us what Michael said?"

Brian smiled. Someone must have given Ted a copy of Justin's infamous Kinney Operating Manual.

"But why? He was just as wrong to say it in the first place!"

"I still shouldn't have hit him," Brian sighed, "and no one would have believed me anyway. It's so much simpler to blame big, bad Brian for everything that goes wrong. How many years have you been going to the diner? You should know that by now."

There were times that Ted truly thought Debbie and Michael had done just as bad of a job on Brian as Jack and Joan. Had Brian ever known what unconditional love was like? He made a mental note to call his mother tomorrow and maybe send her some flowers or something nice. He wasn't particularly close to his family, but compared to some of his friends, he'd won the lottery with his mother.

"Brian, I really think you should have told us what he said. It wasn't right what he did and you shouldn't still be letting people think you were the only one wrong that day. Does Justin know?"

Brian could still remember the day Justin asked him. It was shortly after Stockwell's defeat and they were sitting on the floor having dinner. It was suspiciously like a picnic, but Brian was too happy to have Justin still with him after all he'd been through with the election to argue. The lack of furniture didn't help either. He had told Justin only the basics. He couldn't bring himself to tell Justin the last part and he was sure Justin would never forget it if he had.

Brian shook his head. "I told him the basics. He didn't need to hear the last part. He'd never forget it if he had and I didn't want to do that to him."

Ted agreed, but he knew how clued in Justin could be. "And he believed you?"

Brian let out a small laugh, of course Justin hadn't believed him completely. "Justin knew there had to be more because I threw a punch, but with a little pleading and a lot of distraction, he eventually let it go."

"I'm glad. He's been through so much. I guess he really didn't need to know that there was someone else in the world who wanted him gone."

Brian snorted. "Yeah, between his so-called father and the assholes at St. James, the line was getting pretty long."

Ted would never know where Justin got his strength from. Anytime something bad had happened to him, he'd fallen apart and needed help to put the pieces back together. He even had learn the hard way to appreciate the help. Justin handled things so much better. Or maybe that was just how it seemed, Ted realized. Maybe there was a lot more to Justin that he never took the time to know before. It was certainly true of Brian.

"Bri, I still think it would be good for them to know what happened that day. Why let everyone think you were the only one to blame? Michael is not the saint Debbie thinks he is."

"Like I said, they wouldn't have believed me anyway and I was still wrong for hitting him. Just let it alone, Ted." Brian sounded like he was 100 years old.

Ted put up his hands in surrender. "Okay, I won't bring it up, but if the subject ever comes up, I won't keep quiet."

Brian smiled at Ted's fierce loyalty. Fate truly had a sick sense of humor sometimes.

"I'm sure you won't, Theodore. Now get out of here before Blake comes looking for you. My sugar levels go through the roof when the two of you are together."

Ted smiled and stood up. "'night, Bri." With a small squeeze on the shoulder he headed home. He'd find some way to bring this up without actually bringing it up.


End file.
